Volume I No. 71
 04-23-03
 Republican Senator Rick Santorum
 { The Latest - And Surely Not The Last - GOP Firestarter }
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2003

 There is a firestorm in Washington DC due to the untimely
 comments of Senator Rick Santorum ( R - Pa. ) equating
 consensual homosexual sex with bigamy and incest. During
 an interview the senator stated. "If the Supreme Court 
 says that you have the right to consensual gay sex 
 within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, 
 you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to 
 incest, you have the right to anything. "

 What morally repugnant act did the senator not include?
 Rape? Beastiality? Sado-Masochism? How could he have
 possibly forgotten those? He was on such a roll.

 Of course, Senator Santorum was later defended by one 
 of his spokespersons. "The senator has no problems with 
 gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals."

 No kidding! The senator probably has a gay cousin in his
 extended family. Or one of the workers in his senate office 
 has a gay sister or brother. Who knows maybe the night
 janitor is a homosexual. "The senator has compassion for 
 gay people. But not the things they do in private."

 Our words. Not his office's. But the point is made.

 This is an old game the senator is playing. A game that many
 on the Right often play. Make outrageous and bigoted comments,
 and then you get days if not weeks of  free publicity "explaining"
 how your words were misinterpreted. But unlike the Far Right's 
 most recent "firestarter," the beloved Trent Lott. Senator 
 Santorum steadfastly refuses to apologize to those Americans
 he might have offended. Stating that his words are simply in 
 line with current law. { the senator was originally commenting 
 upon a Texas sodomy statute that is currently under review by 
 the US Supreme Court }

 This is not about the rightness or wrongness of homosexuality.
 That discussion is misplaced here. But it is about how the Far 
 Right continues to characterize those US citizens whose lifestyle 
 or political outlook they disagree with, in the darkest of terms. 
 "Disagree with our morality and world-view and you are 
 basically subhuman.You are depraved. And you are - by 
 implication - against God and nature."

 Senator Santorum knows who is constituency is. And it is 
 not those on the Left. It is certainly not the gay people in his 
 community. But it is the people on the Right for whom he is 
 now a hero. And if he resigns his GOP leadership post. He 
 will nevertheless become a sword-bearer for GOP intolerance 
 and political opportunism.

 If this is the compassionate conservatism that George Bush 
 talks about. America is in serious trouble if a Republican ever 
 achieves the nation's highest office who is not compassionate. 
 For our "Imperial President" has already nominated an Attorney 
 General who is a Christian crusader. A man dismissive of those 
 who do not share his belief that public office is a venue open 
 to proselytyzing. An Attorney General who is busy ursurping 
 powers and disregarding the rights of citizens, and non-citizens 
 alike. All in the name of fighting the war against terrorism.

 The current Secretary of Education believes that only Christian 
 values in public education are of any worth. And said so publicly.
 Despite the fact that he is responsible for administering that 
 department for all American school children. Many of whom 
 come from non-Christian backgrounds.

 He too refused to apoligize. Is there a pattern here?

 And last but not least our "Imperial President" refuses time and 
 again to admonish those in his party who step across the line. 
 Isn't the President by default the leader of his party? Perhaps 
 George Bush is too involved in the planning of his next invasion.
 Engrossed in his obssessive desire to remake the entire Middle 
 East according to his plan.

 What happened to an America where diversity was a strength 
 and not a weakeness? Where "statesmen" could politely agree 
 to disagree. And the halls of congress were not a shooting 
 ground for verbal wars between politicians who slyly know 
 how to keep the hate and the bigotry in between the lines. But 
 not in the words themselves.

 Senator Rick Santorum has apparently learned a lot in his time 
 on the hill. He's earned his extra fifteen minutes. He should be 
 proud.

 The only question remains. 

 Who will be the next GOP "firestarter?"
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2003

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